


What life throws at you

by WinglessDemeter



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-29
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-01 19:31:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4031902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinglessDemeter/pseuds/WinglessDemeter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brienne chewed on her lip as she sat up on the exam table clutching the edges and trying to keep from looking at the clock for the eighth time in the last two minutes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Brienne chewed on her lip as she sat up on the exam table clutching the edges and trying to keep from looking at the clock for the eighth time in the last two minutes. She hadn’t really expected Hyle to show given his response when she’d told him she was pregnant. But she couldn’t deny she wasn’t just a little - or a whole lot - disappointed that he hadn’t even tried. She took a deep shaky breath and resumed biting on her lip, glancing at her phone rather than the clock. 

No new messages. Maybe she had been expecting, just a little, that he would show up and be willing to step up. They had broken up way before she had taken the first test that had come up positive and while she wasn’t expecting in any way to get back together, she had at least hoped she wouldn’t be in on this alone. 

Single motherhood. The thought was just a little overwhelming at the moment. 

She rubbed her still slightly flat stomach absentmindedly as she waited for the doctor to come in. It would be okay. Once she figured out how to tell her father and he got over trying to kill her ex boyfriend, he would be thrilled. He would want to be around for what was likely to be his only grandchild. She wouldn’t be completely alone. 

The door finally opened and the doctor walked in followed by a nurse pulling in a large machine on wheels. Brienne let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding as the doctor greeted her. They were startled a few seconds later by the door being roughly pulled open and voices coming from the hallway.

“See? She’s right here.”

A golden head nodded towards Brienne still gripping the exam table with wide eyes as the ones that met hers were a bright emerald green, not a murky brown. For just a second she had thought Hyle had decided to show but shocked didn’t even begin to cover what she felt at seeing her friend and roommate standing in the doorway of the exam room. She hadn’t said a word to anyone about her pregnancy save for Hyle because it hadn’t felt right not to. So why was Jaime here?

“Miss Tarth?” She towards the doctor, not having heard anything in the last few minutes. “Is he with you?”

“Um, yes,” Brienne inhaled deeply. “Yes, let him in.”

“Sorry I’m late,” He greeted with a smug grin towards the nurse in the hallway. She shot him a glare before closing the door to give them privacy. Jaime moved to stand next to her, watching as she tugged the revealing cloth gown tighter around her and smiling as her face began to turn red.

“Well,” said the doctor, calling their attention, “If that’s it for the interruptions, we’ll begin the exam and get you both set up for the next few months of your pregnancy. I’m assuming this will be your first?”

“Ye-Yes.”

He asked a series of questions and gave them pamphlets on parenting and birthing classes offered at the hospital. Jaime took them and flipped through them while she answered the doctor. She wanted to tell him that Jaime wasn’t the father of her baby but wasn’t sure how to bring it up and soon the appointment was coming to an end. 

The nurse brought the machine she had wheeled in around and asked that she put her feet up on the stirrups. Brienne’s face went red as she leaned back on the table and kept hold of her gown until her back hit the table. She would have preferred that Jaime left but he grabbed a chair from the corner and sat next to her as the doctor examined her. It was uncomfortable in more ways than one and she hoped it would be over soon so she would put her underwear back on and go home. 

“Now, I want to do a quick check to help determine how far along you are,” The doctor said as the machine behind him turned on and the nurse handed him a white wand. This didn’t make her feel any more comfortable. 

Brienne fidgeted as it was inserted and was startled when she felt a warm hand grasp her own and begin massaging the back of it with his thumb. She turned to Jaime but he wasn’t looking her way, instead the black screen at the end of the table. So she turned back trying to ignore the odd feeling of the doctor moving the wand and the warmth at her side to stare at the screen. It was grey now with a black space in the center and a grey looking blob in the middle of that.

“There he is,” The doctor pointed at the grey looking blob. Brienne could make out the faint shape of a head as it moved. “I estimate you are about eleven weeks along.”

She gripped Jaime’s hand without realizing it and sat up slightly to try and get a better look at the screen. That was her baby, she could feel the sting of tears at the back of her eyes but held them back. 

“Would you like me to print out a couple of pictures for you to have?”

She nodded at the same time that Jaime replied, “Of course.”

He had been mostly silent during the appointment, which was unusual for him. He always had something to say and Brienne had avoided looking his way for the most part. She wanted to ask what he was doing her, how he knew but figured it was something best saved for when they got home. 

The doctor handed them the copies and informed her that the nurse at the front desk would help them set up the next appointment and wished them a good day. Brienne stared at the picture in her hand, feeling a tear slip this time as she ran her hands down the side of her baby’s head. This felt so much more real than staring at a thin white stick with two pink lines. The reality that her life was changing so quickly was starting to hit her. It didn’t matter if Hyle decided not to show up for the appointment, or any of the ones that would follow. This was her baby and while she had absolutely no clue how she would manage, she knew she would find a way. She was already in love with the child growing inside her.

Brienne looked up to find Jaime staring at her, a second copy of the sonogram gripped in his hand. She wasn’t sure where to start.


	2. Some Assembly Required

There was a good deal of cursing coming from her room when Brienne came home from work. The television was playing on mute and the cushions were on the floor. She took a few minutes to pick them up and set the living room to rights before making her way towards her room. She found her roommate sitting in the middle of the room with his phone in his hand, a hastily torn open box and dark brown wooden pieces in various sizes. The matching dresser she had picked was pushed up against the wall by the door.

Jaime's brows were furrowed as he stared at the screen in his left hand. His right held a screw driver, twisting it around every so often as he muttered to himself. The instructions lay crumpled up behind him where he had most likely thrown them in frustration.

"Jaime, what are you doing?" She asked, dropping her bag on the bed.

He looked up and then around the room at dark pieces of wood laying around the room.

"I was trying to assemble this thing but the instructions were impossible to understand. I found a video instead," He help up the phone and the now paused video. "I wanted to surprise you but this is taking a lot longer than I thought it would."

Brienne walked around him to pick up the instructions and began to carefully unfold them. She wasn't sure why he was doing this but she couldn't say she wasn't a little bit touched that he had been trying to get the crib ready for when she came home. She would have no doubt been the one sitting here this weekend trying to figure out how to assemble it by herself. Hyle certainly wouldn't have done this.

She turned to look at him and smiled, "How about I read the instructions and we can finish this together?"

"Alright."

"And Jaime," He looked back at her again, "Thank you."

The resulting smile made her heart thump loudly in her ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say this is maybe a month after the first chapter? I have different little pieces written and in my head but no clear timeline. In all honesty I am writing what pops into my head first so any other pieces are likely to be out of order. I do have some plans for writing more on Jaime's POV, it's just proving difficult at the moment as my mind does not focus easily so I am writing a bit here and there in between work. 
> 
> I appreciate all the positive feedback from the first chapter. And hope you enjoyed this one as well.


	3. Fragile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I want to place this at about 23 weeks.

"I'm fine, Jaime. I don't need you to come with me," Brienne said with exasperation as she slowed her pace to allow him to catch up. 

She could not quite understand Jaime's behavior lately. At first Brienne hadn't minded takeout from her favorite restaurant after a long day at work or the apartment already being cleaned after the Saturday afternoon nap that had become routine as of late. Or the basket of laundry being haphazardly folded on her bed. It was nice at first. But little by little it started becoming more irritating and frustrating than helpful because...everything was getting done without her having to. She just wasn't sure how to tell him she didn't need his help without hurting his feelings. 

And so rather than blow up on him after he took the dishes out of her hand and shooing her into the living room, she decided to go for a jog. It had been working in relieving some of her frustration...until he decided to join her about halfway through her normal route.

"I just don't want anything to happen," Jaime replied with a bit of huffing. "You didn't even bring your phone with you."

"Yes, that was intentional," Brienne retorted. "Nothing is going to happen. Just like nothing is going to happen if I wash my own dishes or fold my own laundry."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I am pregnant. I didn't lose a hand or something and I can do things on my own."

"I'm just trying to - Brienne? What's wrong?"

She had stopped very suddenly and was standing there in the middle of the sidewalk clutching her stomach. Blue eyes wide with surprise.

"Brienne?" He tried again when she failed to respond.

"I felt something," She almost whispered.

"What?"

"I think I just felt the baby kick."

Without thinking Brienne grabbed his hand and put it against the lower right side of her belly. Jaime stood there awkwardly with his face scrunched in confusion when nothing happened. Then out of no where, he felt it and his eyes shot up hers incredulous. She had a wide toothy grin as they felt another kick, and then another before the baby seemed to tire of performing for them and stopped. But still they stood a block from home staring at each other. She thought for a second that he might kiss her when his eyes darted to her lips and he began to lean forward. 

They were startled by a bark and then a pair of furry legs against their hips. She pulled away, letting his hand fall back to his side, knowing her cheeks were probably starting to turn red. This was ridiculous. What was she doing? He was her best friend and roommate no less. It was probably all the hormones getting to her. He wasn't just about to kiss her and she wasn't just about to kiss him back if he had.  
Neither one of them said a word as they walked the rest of the way home, both their hearts thumping hard inside their chests. They still said nothing as they settled down in the living room and picked a random movie playing on TV. They did not talk about what almost just happened though both of them desperately wanted to.

**Author's Note:**

> I have had this sitting in a folder for a couple of months and decided to post. Not sure how I feel about it or if I will leave it up (I know it's a rough piece). I have ideas for continuations, probably not in chronological order, but I am unsure whether I will be posting any more. For now, I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
